Thin-gauge-metal automobile frame



v'April z2, 1924.- 1,491,563

R.STRESAU THIN GAUGE METAL AUTOMOBILE FRAME Filed April 16. 1921 Wir/V553:

Patented Apr. 225,l 1924.

RICHARD STRESU, O?? WAUWATOSA, `tiISCOISIN', ASSIGNOR TO A. 0. SMITH CORPORA- 'ETQBL'OF IEELWAUKEE, WISCVONSIN, A CORPORATIQN'OF NEW YORK.

mineralien-METAL AUTOMOBILE naaien To'ZzZZ whom t may concer/n:

Be it known that- 'I, RICHARD STRESAU, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of the city of VVauwatosa, county of Milwaukee, and State of Wisconsin, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement .in Thin-Gau e- Metal Automobile Frames; and I do dec are 4the following to be, a clear, exact, vand complete speciication. thereof,'such as will enable persons skilled in the art to which the inventlon pertains to make and use the same,- reference'bein'g had to the accompanying drawing for illustravtion of the manner in which my invention is. reduced to a practical form.

My invention relates to an improved automobile frame and to the manufacture of the same.

Heretofore, in constructing automobile frames from pressed steel parts, including side bars, cross-bars and gussetsfthe sheet steel which has been used for many years in the manufacture of such frame parts, las necessarily been of a gauge to insure the desired degree of'strength and durability in the frame. As a consequence of the observ- 4 ance of these requirements, the frame has been an element contributing anexcess of weight to the automobile as a whole. `Steels of various alloys have been used, having in mind the purposeof effecting a reduction in the weight of the frame, while preserving the necessary degree of strength therein, but it has not. been consideredv feasible, however, to use steel plates below a minimum gauge, having due regard to substantial construction of the frame, and its ability to resist the strains incidentto the operation of the auto-l mobile in which the frame is placed..

I have discovered however, that by using alloyed molybdenum and chrome steel plates, the gauge of the plate material from which the frame is produced, may be reduced to approximatelyone-half of that which heretofore has een conservatively considered the minimum gauge vwithin the limits of safety,iand have thus' eiectedr a corresponding ecrease in the weight of the frame. Steel of this nature possesses all ofA the required elements of strength by reason of the hardness of the p lates, and at the v same time the elasticity which is desirable Application filed-April 161921. Serial No, 462,(l17.

a proper degree. Y But some difticulties have been encountered in properly connecting or attaching the adjunctive devices to the side bars of the automobile frame in a substantial manner, when such side bars are made from the thin plates described, by reason of the tendency 'of the rivets connecting the parts to shear-olf under the weight imposed thereon. This defect is due to the condition that the thin gauge of the harder steel plates now used in the manufacture of the side bars, re-

in structures of this class, is preserved in duces veryv materially the Aarea of the bearing contact upon the rivets and lessens the effective resistance exerted by the latter, so

that the rivetsy are subjectedto increasedpressure in the line of' the greatest strain. This condition renders it'diiicult to avoid Y the tendency of the rivets to be out under the vlbrations to which the structure is subjected in the operation of the automobile.- y j Attempts to overcome -the objection referred to, by increasing the number of rivets.-

employed for the purpose of uniting the -ad- Junctlve devices to theside bars of the automobile frame, has necessitated a corresponding increase in the number of perforations' inthe side bars for the accommodation of the larger number of rivets. But resort to this practice has developed a serious counter-defect, which manifests itself in the weaking of the side bars in the lines of such perforations, and it has resulted that the side bar is much more liable to fracture at the point of union of the adjunctive device with the side bar, by reason of the weakened structure of the latter, due to the increased number of perforations therein.

After much study of the' problem 1n- -volved, and some experimentation, I have devised a new pla-n for connecting or attaching the adjunctive devices to the thin-gauge .sheet metal side bars of an -automobile frame,

whereby I am enabled to effect a firm and rigid union between the parts and Iattain this very satisfactory result withoutin any ldegree impairing the strength of the side bar at the point of such unlo-n.

I I achieve the purposes of the invention by the employment of a system of electric welding, in the practice of which the said naines f adjunctive vdevices are rigidly attac-hed to' the side bars at points or Vin linesV WhereV the strains are neutral,A and preferablyv /secure this .result Without resorting to the former and customary practice of. perforating the side to provide for the attach-v ment ofsuch adjnncti've devices.

As liereinbefore stated, theV side are drayvnffrom vthin-gan'ge strips orplates vot alloye'd molybdenum and chrome steek-and formed iiito.cliannels with angularliange extending laterally of the vertically standing web and longitudinally oli tliesidel bar. j

rlhe adjunctive devices designed to be' con# nected or attached to the side -b'ar are sirni-A larly formed' in their' longitudinal dimensions, which extend transversely tothe lplane of `the side bar, so 'as to closely or snugly embrace-or engage the Weband both flanges ot the side bar; 'The flanges project'- ing lengthwise ofthe adjunctive devices orm ,-'dinarily will be. eo-eiitensiv'e Withvtlie lat-V eral flanges of'tlie side bar at the point of y union with the latter. 'ln such an arrange-v ment, the' longitudinal edges of the side bars and the transverse edges of the adjunctive device #will be in alignment. The aligned edges are `then welded together by theap- 'plicationv of a Jfusing electric current, lin.

connection withvwliieh adestruc'tible Weldrod may be used'ritv desired.l -The lines lot Welding thus produced lie in planes in which the vstrains vupon the joints are en tirely neutral.

Tflie resulting construction is `snch'sthat an integral and unitaryv structure produced, the adjunctive devices being permanently unitedA tothe side bar Without in any manner weakening.' the latter. @n the contrary, the strength of the sidebar not.

only is. preserved, but isk actually/:increased overthat which exists in automobile framesy 'constriicted' in accordanceA with thelinethods heretofore known. `However, in some cases,

. stitute the' Welding may be vfacilitated butnot apl'preciably augmented by the employment lor a comparatively small number orP rivets which maybe insertedfor thepiirpose of? effecting close union between the Webs of the parts; but the-number of rivets em'- ployedc Jfor this purpose will be siichthat the side bar ngill notpresent any element of Weakness at the pointsWh-ere thelrivetsare used'.

.l have herein referred to adjunetive devices as connected or attached; toA ithlesside bars oli-'the frame,l and4 in the 4interest ot clearnessA will state, that the terijnused is .intended toapply to 'the spring hangers cross bars4 or other eleine'r'its.which` form .necessary parts of a completed automobile frame, and which in the inal'asseinbly conpermanent -`parts of 'the structure The novel features of my invention avill tion of a 'sidebar of an automobile entinvention. y

be described later Aonv inthis speciiication, and Will be particularlyA pointed' out inthe appended claims.. i y i ln the accompanying drawing,

FigureV l 'is-a perspective view of traine drawn from ai thinfgange steel plate, and illustrating the manner of attaching one or@ the adjunctive' devices, such' as a spring hanger,'tliereto in 'acocrdanceivith my pres Fig. '2 is a similarview showing a inedilication-in the construction of the attached adjnnctive device.`

Fig. 8 isa vertical 'sectional view on the Bueil-.3, Fig. l, looking in thedirection ofthe arrow. i

lFigleis a vertica-lsectional 'iew through a side bar showing a modiication intheA manner of attaching the adjunctive device.

Va sec# Cit Fig. is a 'vertical sectional view showing themanner of attaching the'adjunctive de necting or attaching adjunctive devices,'suoh as spring lian-gers, cross bars, or'other elements, tothe side .bars of automobile r 'z irame, which side-bars are formed as channels froin steel pla'tes'o thin-gauge.

i ln r ig, lthe numeral :10 designatesl a side bar, suc-li as .l proposed to torm from a ythin-gauge plate of molybdenuin'and chrome steel, or otherthin-gauge steel 'plate so al` loyed as topossess the required maximum lstrength for the preseiitipii'rpose, -notwithstanding the reduction oi the gauge oi vthe* .plate. ln practice, have oundjthat steel plates so alloyed and having a gaugeo'f .0625 possess-fthe necessary elements 'ot strength, and are entirely serviceable tor use in'inanufacturing the frames of many types of pleasure cars. This reduction. in the gauge. of the .plates is accompanied by aV direct proportionate reduction in the Weight lill) of the frame, and consequently is a valuable factor in 'modern' automobile construction, in which persistenteii'orts are' being'made to.re'duce the Weight of the various parts thereof. i

lloWeven-Aaserious diiiculty has been en'- countered in the use of thin-gauge plates vof thech'aracter described, in that the rivets employed in connecting or attaching the adjunctive devices tothe side bars are subect to severance, by reason of the greatly 'reduced area of the bearing'bet'iv'een .such

. as embodying a specific form ofther adjunctive devices mentioned. These hangers are usually attached to the side bars byv means of rivets' passing through registering perforations in the two parts. To overcome the objection adverted-to, it has been proposed to increase the number of rivets used "for connecting the parts, but this practice has necessitated a corresponding increase in the number of perforations in the side bar, which perforation's, by reason oftheir close grouping, have been found to materially weaken the side bar at the points of con nection of the spring hanger thereto. strains exerted are perpendicular to the plane in which -the rivets extend, and thel tions of the loads carried 'by the automobile,

is productive of a tendency to a shearing action upon the rivets. Fig. 6 illustrates an expedient which has been resorted to in some `cases with a View to meeting the adverse situation described. In this figure, a reinforcing plate 12 is arranged Within the channel in the thin-gauge side bar,the rivets passing through the spring hanger 11 and the plate 12,.and clamping the web of the bar 10 between the parts.

In carrying out my invention, I form the spring hanger lso that the outlines. thereof. will correspond to those of the side bar, that is, the web 13 'of the spring hanger will bear'a ainst the vertical web of the side bar,wh1le the longitudinally extending parallel flanges 14 of the spring hanger will embrace and closely engage the top and bottom flanges of the side bar. The best results will Ile secured, and the manufacture will be facilitated, by making the width of the flanges of both parts co-extensive, so that their edges will be in vertical alignment, in the directionof the length of the frame. Such aligned edges are united as at 15 by the` process kof electric welding, which welding operatin may be effected with facility by anysuitable electric welding machine. A .fusible weldrod may be vemployed in the operation with good results, but the use of such weldred is not necessary to the successful practice of my invention, inasmuch as the aligned edges of the parts may be fused together-by an arcing current delivered by any of the known forms of welding' devices. In the construction described, the Welding is effected in lines where the strain upon the connectionis entirely neutral, and the parts are united into `a homogeneous and permanent structure. It

The

is not necessary however, that the longitudi-v nal flanges 14 of the spring hangerbe coextensive with the laterally extending .flanges of the side bar at thev points of atl welding may also be effected on lines which I are transverse to the side bar, that is, along the side edges of the flanges of the spring hanger, but it is. not necessary to resort to this expedient, inasmuch as the longitudinal welding first described is ordinarily sufficient. In all of these cases, the welding is veffected on lines in which the strain upon the spring hanger is neutral. i

If desired, two vrivesi indicated 16 'in Figs. 1 and 3, may. be used t0 secure accurate positioning of the parts .and effect a close engagement of the web of the spring hanger with' that of the'side bar. The use ofso small a-number of rivets will not weaken the side bar 'by reason of the perforations therein.

In Fig. 2 I have showna construction in which the spring hanger 111 is attached to a short channel member 130, the latter be- ,s ing Welded to the side bar in-t-he manner previously described, the attachment of the spring hanger 111 to the short channel member being effected by means of rivets or other devices prior to the operation of welding the .spring hanger t0 the sidebar. The gauge of the short channel member 130, Fig. 2, will exr'eed some what that used in forming the integral spring hanger, Fig.l 1, so as toresist the strains upon the rivets connecting the parts 111 and 130.

In Fig. 4 I have shown the side bar 10, with the spring hanger 112 arranged in the channel thereof,the aligned edges of the parts being Tivelded at 15 as before, the .webs and flange-s of both parts bearing a close engagement, one fitting snugly Within the other, as in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

- In Fig. 5, the side bar 100 is arranged with the channel therein opening outwardly with respect to the automobile frame, this alongY thev vertical edge of the lap. lAlso the longitudinal edges of the projecting end flanges 'of the cross bar may be welded to the side bar on lines transverse to the latter.

It is. feasible also to additionally Weld the spring hanger tothe side bar in the vertical angles formed by the meeting of 20 result `from the .former attempts to ma nu' -the webs. Likewise,` the union oi? the'parts i may be effected .in :an .etlicienti'manner by spot-welding the over-lapping flanges. Althoughl foundit expedientl'to perform the welding operation by means oan electric arc. it is obvious that such Welding may be accciiinjlislied by resort to other.. methods,

the particular' method of Welding notfbe. ing regarded 'as important 1n the practice or my invention.

In the practic'e'orn vmy present invention,

` .I have produced an integral, homogeneousv and/unitary automobile frame with the' ad@ junctive devices thereon in its final andperl5 marientforni, and the. integrity of Whih cannot be destroyed during the life-ot the ear in thelconstruction of which it forms 'a V.most essential part. Ashes hereinbefore.

Vbeen point-ed out, the advantages cfa struc! lure sofproduced are superior to those which l facture frames of this class. v

Having thus describedmy invention', ivhiat l claim and desire to secure hyliette'rs Patr ent of the United. States7 is: Y l. ln an .antomobilejlramd a .pressed steel side bar of channel cross-section the longitudinal flanges otwhich 'extend angularly with relation tothe web thereof,l in

Acombination with an attached -adj'unctive i member having a contour which corresponds to that ofthe side. bar and adapted to snugly engage the web andbot'hv flanges thereof, the

. said adjunctive member beingwelded to the side bar on lines longitudinally of tliejlatter. 2-` ln an automobile fra-me, a pressed steel y side bar of thin gauge material formed as a channel-section the flangeso which extend .angularly withv relation tothe web thereof,

Ain combina-tionwith an adjunctive attached member having a contour which corresponds to-that of the side bar and adapted to snugly.

engage the web and'both flanges thereof, the

' said member being Welded to the side har tached adjunctive member havinga contour' at a plurality of places to effect rigid attachment thereto. y I

3. ln an automobile fra-me, a. pressedvste'el side bai' ot` channel cross-section the flanges of .which extend angularly with relation to the web thereof, in combination with an atwhich .corresponds t-o the cross-section of the side bar and 4adapted to snugly 'engage the web and both anges thereof', the flanges of theadjunctive member being coextensive with the anges of the side bar, and the said sidebar and member being Weldedtogether along their coinciding edges lengthwise of the 'side bar.

- meines 4. ln an automobile traine, a. pressed steel side bar formed as a channel section 'the 4flanges of which 'extend angularly With relation to then/ebthereof., in combination with an adjunct've attached member the contour of which corresponds to the cross-section or" the web and botnanges thereof,v the said member being Welded to the side bar along the edges of the'member. v

5. ln'anautomobile frame, apressed'steel side bar' formed as a channel section theV .Hanges oi" which entend in parallel planes at. one side or" the lweb ofthe bar, in combinaA paralleldanges engaging'the engesyo the channel sectionfand Welded thereto 'along the edges of thesaid' member..

@5 ,the-side bar and adaptedtosnugiy engage Y vtion' with member having corresponding 6. -ln ian* automobile frame, i a v"side bar A formed-as a channel of pressedsteel having flanges-extending 1n the direction of the "length 'of the bar, in combination lwith a spring hanger having flanges engaging the,

vfiang'fes of the side bar, and Welded thereto along the' edges 'of-the flanges of ,the spring hanger to' produce eil-unitary structure.A

7. lin an automobile iframe, a pressed-steel vside bar of channel cross-section. and vhaving .flanges extending'longitudinallycf the bar, in combination with aspring hanger hav-v ing danges eo-incidingf 'with the Width of the flanges of thesidebar andzfused along the aligned edges of said ilanges to Weld the `parte together.

8. ln an automobile frame, a pressed-steel channel side bar, in combination with al spring hangerhaving projecting dange's en# gag-ing the side bar and Welded theretoh along the edges of the ida-Tiges of the' spring,"- hanger in lineswhere lthe Ystrainupon thew hanger is neutral, toproduce a unitary structure'.

9. Asa new no'a'nufacture,l an automobile frame comprising a fianged-pressedfsteel' channel side bar and a spring hanger having' rii-anges engaging those ofthe side bar, the

ice

flanges ofthe side bar a-ndfspring hanger 

